The Arizona sentinel., 1887-10-08
Trip up the Colorado.

Ed. SENTINEL. I've left Yuma per steamer Gila on Thursday morning Sept. 22d
 bound for Noriega's ranch on the Colorado opposite Ehrenberg to survey canal line for said ranch. The passengers on board were Mr. Mock and family, Mir. Day of Clip mill, an old Mexican lady and myself
 Capt. Mellon was in command of the boat and he was accompanied, as he is on all his trips up and down the river. by his estima- ble wife The steamer lowed barge load ed with freight, mostly supplies for the ranches along the river, salt for the Clip mill and freight for the Colorado Indian reservation. The first landing was made at the head of the proposed Colorado and Gila irrigating canal twenty-eight miles above
 Yuma, where hay, grain and provisions
 were unloaded for the use of the workmen and teams The head gate location of this canal is all that could be desired for canal heading, in fact is the best we have ever seen and seems to have been specially in tended for that purpose. The river at this point passes through canyon aud both sides are protected by high walls of rock; there is also an island of solid rock which rears its head above the water In the middle of the river about l00feet below the head of the canal. The bottom of the river is also of solid rock making a good foundation for the dam and lock. This dam will raise the
 water of the river l2 feet above low water mark, which will give tho canal ample head to irrigate all of the level and rich valleys of the Colorado and Gila rivers lying below
 this point. Capt. Mellon named this land ing place, Harwood, after Col. Harwood.
 one of the owners of this great canal enter prise. While the passengers were investi- gating the locality abont the head of the proposed canal, they were startled by the steamers whistle and the Captains com nand 10 "let go." and the sndden ring of the gong for tine engineer to start the en- zine. Splash, splash went the paddles and away we went up the river. The next landing place was two miles further up at old Castle Dome Landing where for the last p years thousands of tons of lead ore nave been shipped for San Francisco by steamer to tho mouth of the Colorado and
 thence by ship, until che Southern Pacific road was built to Yuma in 1877. Since that time all shipments have been by steam CT to Yuma, thence by rail. These lead mines are situated ia Yuma county and ? lniles from the river The ore is hauled by team to the Landing. These mines have been sbut down for the last , years but the freight brought by the steamer is supplies to start up work on them again. '.All freight landed" shouts the Captain of the barge, bang goes the gong and away we go agam. The next landing is Frank Hodges ranch. The stop was so short that all we could to was to sing out, ''How are you, | Frank? Good bye, old boy. Take care of yourself" The eAt point of any interest IS Eureka Canyon. The scenery here is graGI for about miles. The river seems .o nave cut through the rauge of mountains and lett almost perpendicular walls on the Arizona side. The old Eureka lead and silver mines are located near the river on the Arizona side in the mountain range and were once extensively worked by Selby & Co.,, of San Francisco. Here the steamer stopped in the middle of the river and sent some freight ashore with the steamer: skiff, for Frank Vomicil who is opening uE